In the process of shipping an item from one location to another, a protective packaging material is typically placed in the shipping container to fill any voids and/or to cushion the item during the shipping process. Some commonly used protective packaging materials are plastic foam peanuts and plastic bubble pack. While these conventional plastic materials seem to perform adequately as cushioning products, they are not without disadvantages. Perhaps the most serious drawback of plastic bubble wrap and/or plastic foam peanuts is their effect on our environment. Quite simply, these plastic packaging materials are not biodegradable and thus they cannot avoid further multiplying our planet's already critical waste disposal problems. The non-biodegradability of these packaging materials has become increasingly important in light of many industries adopting more progressive policies in terms of environmental responsibility.
These and other disadvantages of conventional plastic packaging materials have made paper protective packaging material a very popular alterative. Paper is biodegradable, recyclable and renewable; making it an environmentally responsible choice for conscientious companies.
While paper in sheet form could possibly be used as a protective packaging material, it is usually preferable to use paper cushioning products. Such products may be produced by cushion-creating machines, such as the cushioning conversion machines disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,026,198; 4,085,662; 4,109,040; 4,237,776; 4,557,716; 4,650,456; 4,717,613; 4,750,896; and 4,968,291. (These patents are all assigned to the assignee of the present invention and their entire disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference.) Such cushioning conversion machines convert sheet-like stock material, such as paper in multi-ply form, into low density cushioning products, or pads. The pads produced by these machines each have lateral pillow-like portions separated by a thin central band. These pads may be of a variety of lengths and they are usually substantially longer than they are wide.
In the above-discussed cushioning conversion machines (and, in fact, in most cushion-creating machines), the cushioning products are discharged in a predetermined discharge direction through an exit in the machine's frame. Typically, the cushioning products are discharged to a transitional zone and then, at the appropriate time, inserted into a container for cushioning purposes.
In the past, a variety of arrangements have been used as transitional zones in packaging systems. For example, temporary receptacles (i.e., bins) have been placed adjacent the machine's exit so that the cushioning products can be discharged therein to form a pile. At the appropriate time, the packaging person would reach into the transitional receptacle, retrieve a cushioning product from the accumulated pile, return to his/her workstation and then insert the cushioning product in the container.
Additionally, horizontal packaging surfaces (i.e., tables) have been employed as transitional zones. Specifically, the horizontal surface is positioned so that the cushioning products are deposited thereon. When a packaging need arises, the packaging person picks up the cushioning product from the transitional surface and then, if the transitional surface also functions as a workstation, immediately inserts the cushioning product in the container.
Applicant is also aware that a "slide" has been used as a transitional zone for a cushion-creating machine. Specifically, this slide consisted of a semi-cylindrical conduit having a width just slightly greater than the width of the cushioning products. The slide was positioned adjacent to the machine so that its top portion was proximate to the machine's exit whereby the discharged cushioning products would be deposited thereon. Additionally, the slide was oriented relative to the machine so that it was longitudinally aligned with the product direction discharge. (In other words, the slide direction was a continuation of the machine's discharge direction.) In this manner, the discharged cushioning products stacked end-to-end in the conduit and, at the appropriate time, the bottom pad would be removed and used for cushioning purposes.
These and other transitional zones have all performed quite successfully in a variety of packaging systems and applicant expects they will continue to do so in the future. However, a certain packaging situation has recently arisen which has some special transitional needs. Particularly, this packaging situation requires a transitional zone which can accommodate pads of substantial lengths (i.e., up to four feet), which presents the pads in an orderly sequential fashion, which occupies a minimal amount of space, and which maximizes packaging efficiency.
None of the above-discussed transitional zones appears to be capable of satisfying all four of these transitional requirements. Specifically, a temporary receptacle (i.e., a bin) will not present the pads in an orderly fashion because they are simply accumulated in a pile. Moreover, most "space-conserving" forms of receptacles require a packaging person to bend over to retrieve a cushioning product. While a transitional horizontal surface (i.e., a table) may be designed to eliminate the need for a packaging person to bend over, the pads will still be accumulated in a pile and may even fall off the surface in a high volume situation.
Regarding the transitional "slide" described above, it would appear to present the pads in an orderly, sequential fashion. However, it would have to be at least eight feet long to accommodate two four feet pads, and at least sixteen feet long to accommodate four of such pads. Consequently, such a slide would occupy a significant amount of space at the packaging site, especially if the outlet of the slide was positioned at a convenient height (i.e., waist level). Moreover, the cushion-creating machine would have to be substantially elevated so that its exit was positioned adjacent the top portion of the slide.
Accordingly, applicant developed a transitional zone which satisfies all four of these transitional requirements. Particularly, applicant's invention provides a packaging system comprising a cushion-creating machine and a slide positioned adjacent to the machine. The cushion-creating machine includes a frame and cushion-creating assemblies which are mounted to the frame and which create cushioning products. The machine's frame includes an exit through which the cushioning products are discharged in a predetermined discharge direction. The slide includes a smooth sloped surface with a top portion positioned proximate to the machine's exit so that the discharged cushioning products will be deposited thereon. The smooth sloped surface has a pitch angle which is sufficient to insure that cushioning products placed on the top portion of the surface will slide in a predetermined slide direction.
The smooth sloped surface is oriented relative to the machine in such a manner that the slide direction is substantially perpendicular to the discharge direction. This geometric relationship allows the cushioning products to stack in a consecutive side-by-side arrangement and thereby present the pads in an orderly sequential fashion.
In the preferred embodiment, the slide includes a tray having a bottom wall which incorporates the smooth sloped surface. The bottom wall (and thus the transitional surface) has a length of approximately four feet and a width of approximately three feet. Consequently, the transitional zone can accommodate pads of substantial lengths. The height of the bottom edge of the tray is approximately thirty-six inches which positions the bottom (or front) edge of the tray at the waist level of the most packaging personnel. In this manner, a packaging person can easily retrieve the pads from the transitional zone (i.e., he/she does not have to bend over) thereby maximizing packaging efficiency.
The preferred support structure for the tray comprises a pair of front leg members attached to the front corners of the tray and a pair of back leg members attached to the back corners of the tray. When this type of support structure is used in combination with the preferred dimensions/pitch of the tray, the slide will occupy approximately 101/2 square feet of floor space.
These and other features of the invention are fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following descriptive annexed drawings set forth in detail one illustrative embodiment, this embodiment being indicative of but one of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.